Bare-knuckle boxers sit battered and bruised, their faces cut and bleeding, the bandages on their hands covered in blood.

These are men like Jay 'BamBam' Eggleston, 35 from Sheffield and Paul Stredder, 35 from the Wirral, who had to be checked over by a medical team during their brutal bouts last night.

As these shocking pictures reveal, all the matches were brutal, bloody affairs.

Bare-knuckle boxing now looks set to shed its underground image and become more mainstream as the sports moves from pubs and car parks to bigger, more established venues.

Last night at the Bowlers Exhibition centre in Stretford, Manchester, the main event saw two-time World Bare-Knuckle Boxing Champion Luke Atkin, 30, from York, take on Dom Clark, 35, from Bournemouth during the Rogue Elite world title bout.

The referee checks on Martyn Cavna, 32 from Accrington after he is knocked to the floor (Image: Getty Images Europe)

Today the sport remains legal, but with no licensing body in place bare-knuckle in the UK is unregulated.

Consisting of three two-minute rounds or five two-minute rounds for title fights, though rarely lasting that long, a fight sees boxers punch one another until knockout or until the referee or medic is forced to end it.

Promoter Smith is no stranger to the raw violence - he has been involved in gang wars, was a feared doorman and was once dubbed 'Britain's scariest debt collector'

"Our shows take place at established venues like Bowlers in Manchester. And we notify the local authority and police before the event takes place. We have medics and a qualified doctor on site. They are safe legal events."

Smith said that the bkb offered a sense of visceral excitement that was missing from professional boxing and MMA.

He said: "Because there are no gloves, the punches have far more impact. There is more blood and real sense of edge to the fight."

A fighter looks on after being injured during the event (Image: Getty Images Europe)